He has served as Irish Ambassador in Russia, Germany and Austria. From 2001-2004 he was the Director General of Ireland’s development co-operation programme, today known as Irish Aid, which grew considerably under this leadership. He also served as Political Director from 2009-2013, a post which gave him responsibility for Ireland’s overall foreign policy.

Ambassador Donoghue was then appointed Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York. In this role he helped to facilitate the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

Ambassador Donoghue retired from the Irish foreign service in September 2017 but remains actively involved in pushing forward these issues, and contributes to the work of a number of think tanks and academic institutions.